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“There will always be an us, and you know it.”
“Listen.” She stepped back, making her way to the exit. “If you want me to forgive you, how about you start with reaching out to my family and we go from there, alright?”
“Will it get you back in my bed?”
“No. But maybe we can be friends.”
“We’ve never just been friends, Autumn.”
Before I could stop her, she turned and stepped off my jet.
Bottom line, when push came to shove, she chose to confront our past in Texas rather than dealing with me and my confessions.
Chapter Sixteen
—Julian—
I followed Autumn into the group home I hadn’t seen since my eighteenth birthday. The day I became a legal adult I was out of there and never looked back.
She must have sensed my hesitation. “You okay?”
Eyeing the production crew in front of my face, I warned, “You’ll be lucky if I don’t break that camera by the end of the day.”
“Julian,” she coaxed. “We need footage for your social media.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“I never agreed to that.”
“I know. I did it for you.”
“It’s going to cost you, kid.”
“I imagined it would.” She smiled at the camera. “Can we talk about it later?”
“You mean after I’m done taking you over my knee?”
She glared at me. “I’m not a child, Mr. Locke.”
“No, but you’re in definite need of some discipline.”
“Julian,” the director of the facility greeted, bringing our attention over to her. “It’s so good to finally see you after all these years.”
I nodded, extending my hand, but she smiled, pulling me into her embrace instead.
“I can’t tell you how proud we are of you. These kids idolize you. You have no idea how big of a role model you’ve been to them.”
I was never any good at receiving compliments, so I nodded again, pulling away with Autumn hugging her next.
“Good to see you, Miss Jones.”
“Please call me Anne.” She stepped back, holding Autumn’s hands. “Look at you! Oh my God! The last time I saw you, you were what? Ten? Eleven?”
“Twelve.”
“Right! Well, you look amazing.” She glanced back and forth between us. “I read The New York Times article. I can’t say I was too shocked over the news of you two falling in love with each other. You’ve always had such a special friendship, and those always turn into the best relationships. I bet your parents are ecstatic. Do I hear wedding bells in your future?”
